Teeing Off

Author: Peter Baumann

I consider myself qualified to write a sports article. It may not the best or most entertaining article, but I would certainly consider myself qualified. This is not true when it comes to environmental issues. Between a mother in the oil and gas industry and a father who is firm in his liberal beliefs, I enjoyed many a dinner-table discussion about the effects of man on global warming growing up, but that is about as deep as my environmental knowledge runs.

Which is why I was terrified when I learned we were putting out a Green Issue. First of all I had no idea how I was going to put together a sports page, and second I realized that I was going to have to write about something I was clearly not qualified to be involved in.

As I sat down to get started my mind wandered back to 2007, when Sports Illustrated ran an issue focused on global warming. I vividly remember the Letters to the Editor the next week being split down the middle almost perfectly, with half decrying the fact that SI turned away from sports to write about the environment, and half applauding the magazine's forward thinking.

Personally I was amongst the former. Global warming is a big issue, I thought, but it is not what I am looking for when I open my SI. Leave the sustainability issues to the experts, I said, you tell me how the Tampa-2 defense protects against the intermediate passing game, and I'll let the scientists tell me how the ozone layer protects my skin.

The truth is that in the long run SI's decision to run an issue focusing on global warming was as brave as it was necessary. I have issues with the global-warming movement, but the problem, whether it is man-made, man-aided or simply the earth warming like it has done millions of times in its history is extraordinarily pervasive.

Sports are not immune. Think of our ski slopes - tough to ski without snow. Think of all the crazy things that have happened in sports regarding the climate in the last two years. This year the Cleveland Indians had a series snowed out in April, and we all saw what the elements did to what should have been a fascinating World Series.

My journalistic integrity tells me to question the fact that I am writing this column, or any article that appears in this week's Campus. But despite this I am proud of the newspaper I work for. We are clearly out of our element and more than half of us are in no way qualified to be discussing these issues, but we are, and hopefully now you will too.

Don't just say you love the idea of being green, go be green! Stop driving across campus to the dining hall - it's a ten minute walk tops. Stop driving from campus to the athletic facilities (this is the one I am the most guilty of) - it's usually less than ten minutes. Turn off your heater and put a sweatshirt on - trust me, you can handle it.

If The Campus truly wanted to put out a Green Issue this week, it meant that Sports had to get on board, so we did. And if our campus truly wants to become Carbon Neutral by 2016 then we as students all need to get on board. It's time to stop talking about sustainability and start acting on it. After all, the sports world is counting on you.